For consultants framing a strategy decision
SWOT Analysis Template and Example
A SWOT analysis template built around one decision, with evidence and a source under every point, TOWS strategies to test, and a full worked example.
The four quadrants
What goes in each quadrant of a SWOT analysis
Strengths and weaknesses are inside the company and under its control. Opportunities and threats come from outside, from forces it doesn't control. Each row shows what belongs in a quadrant, where the evidence usually is, and the mistake to avoid.
| Quadrant | What belongs here | Where the evidence usually is | The mistake to avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strengths | What the company does better than its rivals, or has that they lack, and that matters for the decision. | Management accounts, sales and customer data, and interviews with staff at several levels. | Listing what every rival also has, such as an experienced team. A strength all rivals share is the price of entry. |
| Weaknesses | What holds the company back against its rivals, or against what the decision needs. | Interviews, internal data, and what customers and partners say. Public sources rarely show weaknesses. | A short, polite list. When you suspect a weakness but have no evidence, ask the client instead of guessing. |
| Opportunities | A change outside the company that it could act on soon enough to matter: a customer's request, a new rule, a rival leaving, a price shift. | Customer and buyer requests, regulators, government statistics, trade bodies and recent news. | Writing an action as an opportunity. "Open an online store" is a strategy; the opportunity is the demand behind it. |
| Threats | A change outside the company that could hurt it, and when it would bite. | Supplier letters, rivals' moves and regulators. For a US public company, Item 1A of the 10-K, where risks are generally listed in order of importance5. | Generic risks such as "economic uncertainty" or "competition" that fit any company. Name the change, the number and the date. |
To place a point, ask whether the company controls it. If it does, it is a strength or weakness; if not, an opportunity or threat. So a growing market is never a strength, and a 10-K risk the company controls, such as relying on one supplier, is a weakness.
How it works
How do you do a SWOT analysis?
To do a SWOT analysis, first write down the decision it must inform, such as whether to bid for a contract. Then gather evidence from documents, data, interviews and public sources. Only then sort it: strengths and weaknesses inside the company, opportunities and threats outside it. Keep the three to five points per quadrant that matter most. Evidence was part of the method from the start. A 2023 study in Long Range Planning traced SWOT back to SOFT, where each manager graded their unit's key issues with evidence1, as Satisfactory, Opportunity, Fault or Threat.
Write each point as a claim only this company could make, with a number where one exists. If a rival could paste it into their own SWOT unchanged, sharpen it or cut it. The template's rewrite table turns "loyal customers" into "283 of 307 cafés supplied in 2024 reordered in 2025 (wholesale customer list)", which a reader can check. The SEC takes the same line on annual reports: its rules discourage risk factors that could apply to any company2. Copy each quote or figure exactly, with its document, interview or link.
Close each quadrant with a so-what: what it means for the decision, in a sentence or two. Then pair internal points with external ones in a TOWS matrix, which Heinz Weihrich set out in a 1982 paper3. Name the points each strategy rests on, such as S1 × O1, and how you would test it. Keep the options open: the Community Tool Box warns that a SWOT can be used to justify a course already decided upon4. River's SWOT analysis generator drafts a first pass from a stack of client files.
How it works
From notes to a SWOT you can defend
Download it or open it in River
Download both Word documents free, or paste your notes or the company's name above and click Edit with AI.
River drafts a first pass
From notes, River fills each quadrant with points and their sources. From a name alone, it reads public sources and links each one.
Check every point
Confirm each source, cut anything a rival could claim, and settle the questions River lists to confirm with the client.
Choose and test strategies
Keep the TOWS strategies that matter, then ask River to draft your questions as an email or write the executive summary.
Strengths
- S1 · 92% of wholesale cafés reorder“283 of 307 accounts supplied in 2024 reordered in 2025.” Wholesale customer list
- S2 · The roaster runs at 55% of one shift“We roast about 11 tonnes a week. On one shift it'll do 20.” Roastery manager, 9 Sep
Weaknesses
- W1 · Bags filled by hand, about 600 a day“Two of us, 600 bags on a good day.” Roastery manager, 9 Sep
- W2 · Gross margin down from 41% to 34%Management accounts FY2025, p. 2
Opportunities
- O1 · A 64-store grocer wants spring lines“We're looking for 12 to 18 lines, proposals by 15 November.” Buyer's email, 22 Sep
- O2 · 27 cafés asked to resell retail bagsWholesale order notes, March to August
Threats
- T1 · Green coffee contract up 18% in January“+18% on the 2027 contract price.” Supplier letter, Aug
- T2 · $1,500 listing fee per line, 60-day termsGrocer's range brief, p. 3
What you'll get
Sourced points, a so-what per quadrant, TOWS strategies and a full example
- Three to five points per quadrant, each with its evidence and source
- A so-what under each quadrant, then TOWS strategies with a test each
- A full worked example, or a first pass from your notes or a name
Before and after
Your notes in. A SWOT with sources out.
Brackenford Coffee, deciding whether to pitch Pell's Markets for spring. Roaster does about 11 tonnes a week, can do 20 on one shift. Bags hand-filled, about 600 a day. Margin down from 41% to 34%. Pell's wants 12 to 18 lines by 15 Nov, $1,500 listing fee per line, 60-day terms.
Strengths: S1. The roaster has spare capacity: about 11 tonnes a week, against 20 on one shift. Source: your notes. So what: roasting is not what limits a grocery bid. Weaknesses: W1. Bags are filled by hand, about 600 a day. Source: your notes. So what: packing caps how many lines Brackenford could supply. TOWS: WO. Test retail bags at a smaller scale before committing to Pell's volumes (W1 × O1). To confirm with the client: How many bags a week would Pell's expect per line?
Every point keeps its source. Anything your notes don't support becomes a question, not a guess.
What lands in your doc
What's inside the SWOT analysis template
- SWOT Analysis Template
The fill-in doc: a header naming the decision, then eight sections from the summary to a grid for a slide. - Four sourced quadrants
One table per quadrant: each point, its evidence word for word, and its source, then a so-what for the decision. - TOWS strategies
The four pairings, each strategy naming the points it rests on and how to test it before anyone commits. - To confirm with the client
Every point resting on one source, an old figure or conflicting numbers, turned into a question with its point number. - Rules, rewrites and a checklist
Seven rules for specific points, fixes for six generic ones, where to find evidence and eight checks before sending. - SWOT Analysis Example
An invented coffee roaster deciding whether to bid for a grocery chain, with notes explaining the key choices.
Questions consultants ask
Common questions
What is a SWOT analysis?
A SWOT analysis is a short assessment of an organization's strengths and weaknesses, which are internal, and the opportunities and threats outside it. It works best when it informs one decision, such as entering a market or bidding for a contract. In a good one, every point carries its evidence and source, so readers can check it rather than take it on trust.
What makes a good SWOT analysis example?
Every point is specific to one company and shows its source. "Strong brand" fits any business. "38% of café customers surveyed would buy our beans in a supermarket (customer survey 2026, question 7)" fits one, and a reader can check it. The template's worked example, an invented coffee roaster deciding whether to bid for a grocery chain's range, is built that way throughout.
How many points should each quadrant have?
Three to five, strongest evidence first. A long list buries the few points that matter, so cut anything that wouldn't change the decision. If a quadrant has fewer than three points with real evidence, leave it short and add a question for the client instead of padding it.
How do you turn a SWOT analysis into a strategy?
Pair the quadrants in a TOWS matrix. The Community Tool Box's version4 names four kinds of strategy. Two are about opportunities: use strengths to take advantage of them, or overcome weaknesses by taking advantage of them. Two are about threats: use strengths to avoid them, or minimize weaknesses and avoid them. Then carry the client's choices into a strategic plan.
Who should be involved in a SWOT analysis?
Involve people at several levels of the company, and people outside it, such as customers and partners. The Community Tool Box says a SWOT is more effective with perspectives from a range of stakeholders4, since each group may see different strengths and weaknesses. Test the draft with the client team, and challenge any point without a source. Interview synthesis turns interviews into sourced themes.
Is this SWOT analysis template free?
Yes. Download both Word documents, the template and the worked example, with no account. Edit with AI opens them in a free River workspace, where River can draft a first pass from your notes or a company name. Paid plans add more AI use and access to the most advanced models.
What does Edit with AI do?
It opens both documents in a free River workspace, with the example beside the template. Paste notes first, and River drafts a first pass with a source under every point. Give only a company name, and it researches public sources, such as a US public company's annual report on Form 10-K5, and links each one. Anything it can't support becomes a question for the client.
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